• Monash University
• The University of Melbourne

Book Launch - "Systems Practice: How to Act in a Climate-Change World"

Author: Prof Ray Ison

The free launch is on Friday 3rd September at 4.00pm at Feddish Cafe/Bar & Restaurant in Federation Square.

The book will be introduced by Frank Fisher who is known to many Melbournians. Frank is Inaugural Australian Environmental Educator of the Year (2007-8), a Professor in the Faculty of Design, and Convenor of Graduate Programs, at the National Centre for Sustainability, Swinburne University of Technology. Frank is also author of Response Ability and a long time advocate for, and educator in, Systems.

The launch is co-sponsored by Monash Sustainability Institute.

A juggler will be on hand to exemplify why systems practice can be likened to juggling. Systems Practice examines juggling of our own being, how we choose to engage with situations, how practice is contextualised to circumstances and the managing required to create effective performances. A key argument of the book is that individually and socially our capability to do systems thinking and practice is currently very limited. Given our circumstances, this is a strategic weakness. The case is made for a renewal of understanding and investment in systems thinking and practice as a response to living in a world of human-induced climate change. But the book is not concerned with climate change as such. In many ways human-induced climate change is a metaphor for all of the situations ranging from the everyday to the global that are characterised by complexity, uncertainty, conflict and confusion which call out for effective managing and governance.

Systems Practice is dedicated to Humberto Maturana and David Russell. Humberto will be at the launch in spirit, David in person.

It will be possible at the launch to order copies of the book at significant discounts. This is made possible by the Festival official sponsor, Readings in conjunction with the publishers, Springer, London.

For more information, please contact:

Dr Philip Wallis
Research Fellow, Uniwater
Monash Sustainability Institute, Monash University